Sea lion hugs snorkeling teenager off coast of Mexico

A wild sea lion swam up to a snorkeling teenager and hugged him in an astonishing moment.

Ethan Becker, 15, was snorkeling with his dad Chuck Becker, 47, when they saw the sea lion coming towards them.

The sea lion swam around with Ethan for a short while in the Gulf of California, off the coast of Mexico, hugging him before taking a look at Chuck.

“It felt so euphoric in that moment that I almost forgot to put the snorkel in my mouth so I could breathe,” Ethan said.

Sign up for our newsletters.